Services

Our Goal: To deliver a final product that surpasses your highest expectations.
Our Guarantee: We guarantee the integrity of our workmanship against anything including settling, manufacturer's defects, or displacing. All constructions is guaranteed for two years while all plants are guaranteed for 1 year from installation. Plants will be replaced at no charge for the plants or for labor, as long as the homeowner has provided proper care.

At Lawrence Design & Landscape we believe that your time is valuable. Therefore, we attempt to properly design your landscape, using appropriate plant selections for your lifestyle. By doing so, we can reduce your time spent watering, pruning, and weeding, giving you more time to enjoy your family, home, and yard. 

Just as your time is valuable, we at Lawrence Design & Landscape also believe that you have worked hard for every dollar you've earned. Our efficiency and our ability to purchase material directly from growers and manufacturers allows us to bring a competitive edge to every landscape we do, thereby potentially reducing your costs for quality materials. 

After  you have reviewed our capabilities (below) and have visited our Design Portfolio page, and you still have questions, give us a call at (585) 289-4814. We'll be happy to answer any questions you might have or set up an appointment to meet with you to discuss your landscape dreams. There is no charge for this consultation.

Our capabilities and what we can do for you...
Landscaping is our business--one that we do well, one that we are proud of. When you hire Lawrence Design & Landscape, you can be sure of the highest quality workmanship in the Rochester, NY and Finger Lakes area. We understand the factors involved in laying walks and patios, landscape lighting for evening enjoyment, planting appropriate bushes, trees, and flowers for a particular environment, and we incorporate only the best installation methods available for walks, patios, driveways, and retaining walls. Read on to learn some of the details that go into making your landscape the landscape of your dreams--one that will endure for many, many years to come.

As you read, learn about some of the newer landscape design techniques using raised wall systems.

| Brick driveways | Brick walkways and patios | Retaining walls | Plantings | Water features | Raised wall systems |

Brick driveways
Why a brick driveway? Aesthetics and flexibility of design are probably the first and most apparent advantages of interlocking paving stones often used in driveways. The numerous shapes and colors available, assure you a choice that will create interest and complement the architectural beauty of your home.

The value associated with interlocking paving stones is apparent when you consider a lifetime of use with little or no maintenance. This is accomplished by the most important aspect of any driveway installation--the base preparation.

Lawrence Design & Landscaping excavates down to 12 inches and then installs a series of large to small crushed gravel in 3-4 inch layers. These layers ensure maximum compaction and stability. Paving stones are then placed on 1 foot of leveled, coarse sand and then compacted into the sand bedding coarse, forcing sand between the joints, interlocking the system together.

The perimeter of your driveway is then locked in place with an edge restraining system. With the paving stones locked together, the weight of traffic becomes distributed throughout the driveway, making the surface able to withstand tremendous point loads.

Pavers are extremely durable. This is accomplished during the manufacturing process. Pavers are made from compressed concrete and obtain a compression strength of 8,500 P.S.I. This provides for an extremely dense product with less than 5% absorption, making the pavers impervious to salting and the freeze-thaw cycle so common in this area of New York state. Because pavers use synthetic iron oxide pigments for coloring, colors remain true.  Pavers do cost more initially than installing an asphalt driveway, however maintenance costs are practically eliminated with the use of pavers.

Brick walkways and patios
At Lawrence Design & Landscape, our brick walkways and patios are installed to the highest industry standards. We offer unique design capabilities using a wide selection of paving products which will ensure a functional and attractive element to your home. The choices are many. You can choose from blue stone, traditional brick, or compressed concrete pavers. 

The extra steps we take in installing our brick walkways and patios set us apart from our competition to ensure a lifetime of use and beauty. Our installation methods and the use of quality products allows us to extend a two-year guarantee on labor and materials to repair any damaged bricks or settling. 

Our installation method for brick walkways and patios consists of this method:

• Excavation to 8-9 inches. All debris is removed.
• Compact sub-base with plate compactor.
• Installation of 4-5 inches of crushed gravel.
• Compact gravel in two layers.
• Screed in place, 1 inch of coarse granular sand.
• Place brick according to agreed upon design.
• All necessary cuts are made.
• Groating is completed using fine sand.
• Plate compact the surface of brick.
• Groat with sand once again.
• Place soil along the edge of the bricks.

To ensure stable brick and patio edges, the gravel base is extended beyond the width of the walk or patio by 2-3 inches. Where design allows, a  larger size brick is used for the border. In some cases a plastic edging material is used. This is common when bricks are used in driveways.

The size of crushed stone used in brick and patio designs ranges from stone dust to 1 inch-sized stones. These sizes ensure a stable and compactable base.

To ensure proper drainage of walkways and patios, the surface is set to a 2% pitch or 1/8 inch per foot, drop.

Retaining walls
Retaining walls are used to secure a grade or terrace areas to create additional usable space. Retaining walls can elevate planting beds to increase their visibility or to add height for better screening. Retaining walls can add excitement and dimension to flat areas.

As with brick walkways and patios, the choices of products used in creating your retaining wall are many. Choose from hand-selected, flat quarry stone, rounded and colorful field stone, compressed concrete block units, or pressure-treated timbers. Any one of these options can attractively solve your retaining wall needs. To assure these wall systems remain a functional part of your landscape for many years, extra steps are taken in the installation process to ensure the base course will remain stable. Also included in this process is an assurance that adequate drainage behind the wall is accomplished. 

The extra steps in Lawrence Design & Landscape uses in designing retaining walls include:

• A base course of wall is installed on 4-6" compacted gravel.
• The base course is typically 2-8" below grade depending on the use of the wall. For example, a garden wall will have less of a grade, whereas a massive retaining wall will require more.
• These extra steps ensure that the base of the wall doesn't kick out.
• Drainage gravel is added behind the wall if drainage is an issue. If drainage is a severe problem, tile is also added.

Plantings
Many factors are considered in the selection and arrangement of plantings. The type of soil, sun and wind exposure, mature sizes, proportion, function, color, and texture, all play an important role in selecting plant material. All of these factors must be considered in the selection of plant material that will look great when first installed and will continue looking great over time. Lawrence Design & Landscape attempts to use plantings that are desired by the customer and which are of the lowest maintenance possible. Hundreds of plant varieties are available to suit even the most discriminating tastes and the most challenging needs of your landscape.

Water features
Water--the tranquility of gurgling water skipping over rocks in a peaceful, lushly landscaped yard can sooth, calm, and melt away all the stresses of your daily life.  Add the element of water to your landscape with Lawrence Design & Landscape.

Raised wall systems
Raised wall systems are a newer feature in landscape design. Raised wall systems can be used for steps, stoops, front and back porches, and patios, providing a new and unique living space for your home. A necessary step Lawrence Design & Landscape does to porches, steps, and raised patios is to add a top course (or, coping) to be custom cut to fit tight. This course is adhered with an outdoor adhesive.

Copyright © 2000 Lawrence Design & Landscaping Inc. All rights reserved.
This site was created and last maintained by Lewis Writing Services on March 11, 2000. Any comments regarding this site should be directed to Lawrence Design & Landscaping.